Carrier HMS Prince of Wales is Back in Singapore as Return Journey Begins
HMS Prince of Wales (R09) is completing its second port call this year to Singapore, as part of the UK-led Carrier Strike Group (CSG)’s 2025 Indo-Pacific deployment. The return to Singapore marks completion of a phase of the deployment where the CSG has exercised extensively with Japanese and Korean vessels as well as the US Navy, and the CSG has now left the South China Sea.
The carrier is due to remain in port until September 25 and is docked in Singapore’s Changi Naval Base. Norwegian Nansen Class frigate HNoMS Roald Amundsen (F311), logistic vessel HMNZS Aotearoa (A11), Type 45 destroyer HMS Dauntless (D33) and RFA Tidespring (A136) have been using the naval facilities of the British Defence Singapore Support Unit at Sembawang, a small support unit the UK maintains in order to support its commitment to the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA), of which Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the UK (the SUMAN nations) are signatories. Type 23 frigate HMS Richmond (F239) is to join up having completed training with Philippines Navy Jose Rizal Class frigate BRP Antonio Luna (F151) off Manila.
HMS Prince of Wales leaves Singapore to take part in the FPDA’s five-day Exercise Bersama Lima. Bersama Lima is an annual exercise with air, land, and maritime components, in which the principal aim is to improve interoperability in combined operations to defend Malaysia and Singapore. Participation of the CSG will give this year’s exercise a particular maritime air focus. Australia is deploying F-35A aircraft and the Anzac Class frigate HMAS Ballarat (F155) on the exercise. Bersama Lima is the culmination of the FPDA’s annual series of Bersama tactical exercises and Suman command post exercises.
On completion of Exercise Bersama Lima, the CSG is likely to adopt a lower profile as it switches from training and defense diplomacy to an operational phase and heads westwards through the Indian Ocean towards the challenges of the Arabian Sea.